German 2nd Parachute Division
| German 2nd Parachute Division | |
|---|---|
Unit insignia
|
|
| Active | 1943–45 |
| Country |
 Germany
|
| Branch |
 Luftwaffe
|
| Type | Fallschirmjäger |
| Role | Airborne forces |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke |
The 2nd Parachute Division (2. Fallschirmjäger Division) was an elite airborne division of German Wehrmacht (Luftwaffe) during World War II.
The 2nd Parachute Division was raised in 1943, with 2nd Parachute Regiment, recently detached from the 1st Parachute Division serving as its nucleus. In May, the division was sent to Avignon in France, where it became part of the XI Flieger Corps along with the 1st Parachute Division. This Corps served as the reserve for the German 10th Army in Italy.
When the Italian government started to crumble in September, the 2nd Parachute Division was dispatched to Italy. It carried out coastal defense duties near the Tiber estuary. The men moved to Rome in the evening of September 8 and participated in a subsequent operation to disarm the surrendering Italian army. The 1st Battalion of the 2nd Parachute Regiment participated in the recapture of Leros Island in the Dodecanese. The island was then still occupied by Italian forces supplemented by British units following the surrender of Italy. By November 16 the island retaken by German forces.
In October 1943, the division was deployed to the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union and was subordinated to the 42nd Corps, west of Kiev. On December 15 the division was airlifted south toward Kirovograd to contain a Soviet breakout. A German counter-attack then commenced against heavy opposition. By December 23 the attack faltered and the division returned to the defensive. In January 1944, the division remained on the Eastern Front, successfully opposing the Soviet offensive around Kirovograd. The Soviet advance resumed in March causing the division to retreat behind the Bug River. The division fought its last actions on the Eastern Front in May during a counterattack against a Red Army bridgehead across the Dniestr river. At the end of May the weakened division was pulled from the line and returned to Germany for refit.
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